1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to safety caps for valves, and, more particularly, to safety caps for a fluid refrigerant.
2. Description of Related Art
It has become increasingly important to secure valves that are designed to provide access to a fluid, in particular, to gases, in a storage vessel.
The valves used at present are easily tampered with by unauthorized people who wish to remove the fluid from the vessel. A specific and relatively recent problem has been the removal of refrigerant gases, which are typically stored or pass through a unit situated outside a building and are thus readily accessible.
Release of refrigerant gases such as chlorofluorocarbons is a twofold problem: First, if the gas is inhaled by a person desiring an intoxicating effect, physiological damage can occur; second, a release of the gas into the atmosphere is deleterious to the environment through its role in the destruction of the ozone layer.